Martins Ifijeh
The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has welcomed the strong regulatory action taken by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) with respect to production and distribution of Codeine in Nigeria.
The council said it was in support of all meaningful efforts to address the rising and alarming, abusive consumption of controlled substances.
Stating this in a statement made available to THISDAY thursday and signed by the Director General of the council, Babatunde Irukera, the council said: “On April 10, 2018, we issued an advisory that publicly called for a ban and prohibition on the prescription of cough medication containing Codeine. That NAFDAC has heightened the proposed regulatory measure by an outright ban is commendable.
“Protecting citizens’ addiction and the harm done by abuse of controlled substances must remain a priority always, to the exclusion and sometimes at the expense of commercial considerations. The Council will deploy its entire apparatus and resources to support NAFDAC, Ministry of Health, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other relevant agencies to enforce this ban and prevent access to codeine and similar addictive substances,†he added.
The DG noted that the council advocates and encourages strong and zero tolerance approach to access distribution or proliferation of these substances or any combination of chemical properties that have similar effect, while also ensuring that production and availability of legitimate medication remain inviolate and uncompromised.
